


The Mission

by El_Tigre_deBengala



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-19 03:53:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7343710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/El_Tigre_deBengala/pseuds/El_Tigre_deBengala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the rest of her men already on covert assignments, Tsunade is forced to send Sakura on a mission with the ANBU.  </p><p>Takes place after Hidan and Kakuzu are killed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dog, The Cat, and The Bear

With the numerous threats to the Leaf looming over everyone's heads, Sakura isn't surprised it's come to this. Tsunade had sent a messenger to Sakura's apartment while she was sleeping, meaning whatever it was her Hokage needed from her couldn't wait until morning. Sakura had run to Hokage Tower without hesitation, thoughts of Naruto or Sai in danger propelling her to her destination in record time. She knocked lightly on the door to Tsunade's office more as a formality than to announce her presence- she knew her sensei could sense her approaching from a mile away. Her muscles burned after her run and her breathing was harsh in her chest- she had been using more chakra than usual healing the increasing number of wounded at the hospital. It still embarrassed her to show this weakness to her Hokage, however, so she focused on slowing her breathing before she presented herself. 

"Come in," Tsunade's voice calls from inside the office. Sakura pushes open the door to find the Hokage at her desk, hands steepled in front of her face- a look Sakura had lately come to realize meant she was dealing with a difficult situation. She takes a few steps into the room, closing the door behind her and her nerves spike as Tsunade's strained expression comes fully into view, the older woman's eyes are fixated at a spot on the wall somewhere behind Sakura.

"My lady," Sakura says with a small bow, tensing when Tsunade's gaze shifts to her face. Whatever this was about couldn't be good. 

"Sakura," the Hokage's voice is emotionless, "I trust you realize the situation our village is currently in?" The question is intentionally nonspecific, and Sakura has to bite back the reflex to answer with a question of her own. She knows what Tsunade is speaking of: after treating Naruto's rasenshuriken injury, Sakura had spent the afternoon healing the steady stream of injured shinobi returning from their various missions protecting the Leaf. Some had gone right from their hospital bed to the front gates, ready to start a new assignment before they were even fully healed. She had had to sedate Naruto to keep him in his hospital room, his restlessness threatening to be his downfall once again. 

"Yes," Sakura says, her voice less even than she had hoped. A flash of caring crosses the Hokage's eyes, but in an instant it's suppressed and she's back to her previous, more serious expression. 

"There have been reports of a new enemy in the Land of Rivers," Tsunade sits back in her chair and picks a scroll off a small pile on her desk, weighing it in her hand, "Normally we wouldn't concern ourselves with the Hidden Valley's business, but our spies tell us the enemy is claiming to be Akatsuki." Sakura's brow furrows at the mention of the Akatsuki; how such a small organization could be causing such an upset in the Hidden Villages baffles her. The Hokage notice's her expression and nods in understanding- if anyone knew the damage these men could cause, it was Tsunade: she had felt the loss of Asuma-sensei more deeply than anyone could see. A moment of silence stretches between them as Tsunade seems to wrestle with finding the right words. 

"Sakura, you'll be accompanying a squad of ANBU black-ops to the Land of Rivers," Tsunade's voice sounds like it's coming from far away as her words begin to sink in, "You'll be gathering intelligence on this unknown enemy and reporting back to me at the end of each day," Sakura nods, though the words mean nothing to her in her current state, "Best case scenario, this man will lead you to wherever the Akatsuki's secret hideout is." Tsunade takes a deep breath, leaning over her desk to pass Sakura the scroll still clutched in her hand, "Worst-case scenario, the mission ends in a fight, and in that case you'll need to fall back and let the rest of your squad deal with the enemy." Sakura steps forward and grabs the scroll from Tsunade, unraveling it messily before reading the contents in a daze. 

"Sudden-death Jutsu?" Sakura croaks, "Chakra-abduction Jutsu?" The unfamiliar phrases send a chill down her spine. Under 'location and known whereabouts' there is only a blank space; the mission report seems pieced together from whatever the Hidden Leaf's spies could deduce on their own. She wonders if this man has a partner, like the Akatsuki duo they fought during their last mission. If so, they were going to need as many shinobi as the Hidden Leaf could spare. 

"Who-- How many--" Sakura struggles to form her racing thoughts into coherent sentences- she had helped perform the autopsy on Kakuzu, his body seemed to be picked right out of a child's nightmare, she doesn't know if she can handle fighting an enemy like that alongside a team she isn't familiar with.  

"Your team will consist of four shinobi, including yourself," Tsunade sighs- Sakura guesses it must be difficult to send her only student on such a dangerous mission, but her duty as Hokage trumps any personal attachments she might have. Sakura nods, her eyes still fixed on the scroll in her hands, soaking up every ambiguous detail while she still has time. "I've already informed the two ANBU on your squad of the mission details, and you will be meeting with them when we wrap things up here," Tsunade continues, clearing her throat to draw Sakura's attention away from the scroll. 

"Who is the fourth member?" Sakura asks. Her legs are beginning to quiver as she thinks of the intense days of travel ahead of her. 

"Well, that should be a bit of good news," Tsunade says, a hint of amusement pulling at the corners of her mouth. Sakura can't suppress the spark of hope that ignites inside her chest. As long as there was at least one person she knew, this mission wouldn't be all bad. 

"The mission will be led by--" 

A faint popping noise startles both women before a small cloud of smoke appears in the corner of the room. Sakura draws her kunai, jumping over the desk to put herself between her Hokage and a possible enemy, and braces herself for a fight. A tall figure emerges from the smoke after a few seconds, the shock of silvery-white hair so familiar that Sakura instantly relaxes out of her tense stance and sheaths her weapon. Kakashi Hatake takes in the embarrassing scene before him and simply wiggles his fingers in greeting. 

"Yo," he says, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants, "You called?"

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura exclaims, "What--"

Sakura can feel Tsunade's angry energy surging behind her and ducks just in time to avoid the bottle of sake that goes hurtling in Kakashi's direction. He lets out a quiet noise of distress but dodges the attack easily, letting the bottle smash against the wall behind him. Sakura covers her mouth with a hand to keep herself from bursting out laughing, knowing it would be inappropriate after such a somber talk with the Hokage. 

"KAKASHI, you _brat_ ," Tsunade screams, causing Sakura to wince in secondhand discomfort, "You can't just show up unannounced. Not at a time like this..." Tsunade's voice trails off and Sakura looks over her shoulder to see the Hokage rest her face in her cupped hands.  

"My apologies," Kakashi's tone is cheerful despite the overall negativity in the room, "I was summoned from my bed, and I guess I was just too tired to remember my place." His words sound innocent enough to Sakura's ears but only earn him a piercing glare from Tsunade, who has finally lifted her head. Sakura walks back around the desk to stand at the center of the room, afraid that she might get caught up in the crossfire if the Hokage throws a paperweight next. Kakashi moves to stand next to her, his posture typically slouched, and gives her a small nod in acknowledgment. 

"Sakura," Tsunade's tired voice draws her attention away from her old sensei, "Kakashi will be the shinobi in command of the mission, I trust you two are familiar enough to formulate a plan of action." 

"Excuse me," Kakashi's voice is low beside her, he takes a few steps forward so he stands between Sakura and the Hokage, "Where's Goro? I thought I was supposed to be meeting with him to go over the mission." Tsunade's expression falls, her eyes fixating on the wall, like they were when Sakura first arrived. 

"Goro is dead," Tsunade's voice is vacant, "Sakura will be accompanying you now." 

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi's says, his voice uncharacteristicly tense, "Please, this is an important mission, I can't afford--" Tsunade lifts a hand to stop him, her eyes daring him to try and speak. Sakura knows what he was about to say: 'I can't afford to have Sakura mess it up'. His words feel like a punch to the gut, and Sakura is glad he has his back to her so he doesn't see the wetness of her eyes. Despite her intense training, she had never been able to prove herself to Kakashi the way that Naruto and Sasuke had. Every mission they had been on together, Sakura had been the one weighing them down. It was only natural he'd have such an adverse reaction to her joining his team. 

"You need a medical ninja on your squad, I can't allow your team to leave the village without one," she raises her hand again when Kakashi makes a move to protest, "Sakura is not only the _best_ medic nin in the village, she is also the only one available." Sakura straightens at the praise of her sensei and discreetly wipes the tears from her cheeks. She can see Kakashi's shoulders droop from her position behind him- defeated- and her gut twists knowing how disappointed he is to be stuck with her. 

"As you wish Hokage-sama." Kakashi turns to face her, his one half-lidded eye lazily taking her in, like he's inspecting a piece of used furniture for dents or scratches. She has never seen him look at her so coldly, her skin crawls the longer he stares at her like this. 

"Kakashi--" Sakura doesn't know what to say to ease the tension between them. She wants to make him a promise that she won't disappoint him, something maybe like Naruto would say when they were younger, but she doesn't have the confidence to stand up for herself. She glances behind him to see the Hokage watching them both, a troubled look on her face. Sakura gives Tsunade a weak smile, wanting more than anything to be back in her bed and thinking about what she'd be having for breakfast this morning rather than preparing for a life-threatening mission. She takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders- she won't impress Kakashi by feeling sorry for herself, she'd have to show him how much she's really grown. Kakashi quirks his head at her confident stance and his eye narrows further. 

"I guess we should get going, Sakura, wouldn't want to keep the rest of the team waiting." Sakura wants to point out that Kakashi is the _expert_ on keeping his team waiting, but she bites her tongue, hoping to keep the civil atmosphere going on for as long as she can. He turns to face the Hokage and bows his head in respect, earning himself only an eye-roll in return. When he turns back to Sakura his gaze is intense and he pushes past her, silently urging her to follow. Sakura looks to Tsunade, an exasperated expression rising to her face despite her best efforts to remain neutral. 

"Good luck, Sakura-chan," Tsunade sighs, "I expect a _detailed_ report by the end of today." Sakura bows in reply and quickly turns to follow Kakashi, who's probably left Hokage Tower by now.

Just as she expected he isn't in the hallway outside the office. She breaks into a run, not wanting to lose his trail- she knows this is some sort of test. She descends the stairs in a hurry, jumping down a whole flight at a time, and finds herself out on the street in front of the tower. The morning sun has just emerged above the horizon, the light filtering in through the the surrounding buildings, but already the streets are packed with civilians going about their morning duties. Sakura just catches sight of the silver hair rounding a corner a block away from her before her view is blocked by a passing wagon. She decides the easiest course of action would be to travel on the rooftops rather than fight her way through the crowd. One chakra-assisted leap later and she's bounding across tiled rooftops, keeping an eye out for Kakashi in the gaps between buildings. 

To Sakura's dismay, he seems to have disappeared. She pauses and closes her eyes, focusing her mind to try and feel for his familiar chakra, gasping when she finds herself surrounded by it. She opens her eyes, expecting him to be right in front of her, but all she sees are the buildings beyond. She shrugs, and assumes she must have done the exercise wrong. An arm wraps itself around her neck just as she readies herself to jump to the next roof, the sharp point of a kunai pressing into the small of her back. 

"Always be aware of your surroundings, Sakura," Kakashi's voice is almost a growl against the back of her neck, his arm tightening when she struggles to free herself, "You're movements are sloppy and obvious to anybody that knows what to look for," the kunai pushes harder against her back, making her wince as it pierces the sensitive skin. 

"Why are you acting like this," Sakura sputters, her throat too constricted to sound anything but helpless. The arm around her neck loosens an immeasurably small amount at her words but it's enough to give Sakura an opportunity to focus her chakra to her left elbow. She hits Kakashi in the ribs, sending him flying behind her. A small smile crosses her face at the sight of him smashing against the roof, sending tiles raining to the street below, but it's wiped from her expression when he disappears into a pouf of smoke. A shadow-clone. 

Sakura groans, dropping into a fighting stance and drawing her kunai, waiting for Kakashi to make the first move. This whole situation is too much for her to handle on only a few hours of sleep. After a full minute of waiting Sakura decides he must be expecting _her_ to do something. 

"Kakashi-sensei," she calls, "Don't we have to meet up with the rest of the team?" Maybe this is why he was always late for missions, she realizes, he must be easily distracted. The chimney directly in front of her dissolves into the form of a crouching man, and she curses herself for not being more observant. 

"You're right, we should proabably get going," his tone is casual as he stands from his crouched position, making Sakura feel even more on edge. 

"Are you trying to embarrass me, Kakashi-sensei?" She eyes him wearily as he walks toward her, his expression unreadable beneath the mask. 

"Yes." He grabs ahold of her arm with one hand and makes a hand sign with the other. Sakura's reply is cut off by the unnatural feeling of a teleportation Jutsu taking hold. 

They are standing in the woods outside of the village- Sakura recognizes it as one of the spots Kakashi trained Team 7 when they were kids. She's about to point this out to her old sensei when two masked figures reveal themselves from behind a tree. She instinctively reaches for her kunai but Kakashi catches her hand, giving a small shake with his head.

One of the shinobi comes to stand before her, looking down at her through the slits in the mask. She thinks it's a bear or maybe a dog, but before she can take a closer look, the ANBU pushes the mask to the top of his head and beams at her with a lopsided grin. Her eyes go wide at the sight of the man before her, the warm color of his eyes just visible in the faint morning light. He's exceptionally tall, even compared to Kakashi, and the smooth lines of muscle that wrap around his arms flex under her scrutinizing gaze. His hair is long, just covering his eyes when he leans toward her, and she finds herself mesmerized by the shape of his jaw and his lips, stretched wide by his smile. 

"Hello, Goro?" The man's voice is low and scratchy, like he just woke up, and if he hadn't just called her Goro, Sakura would have found it almost seductive. 

"Uh--" 

"Goro is dead," Kakashi says bluntly, reminding Sakura that her perverted looks are being witnessed by an audience. Her cheeks burn when she catches her old sensei's eye behind her. 

"Dead?" The ANBU in front of her questions, his brows drawing together and his smile falling away. 

"It was a surprise to us all," Kakashi says dismissively. Sakura is reminded of the conversation they had with the Hokage. 

"Well," the ANBU shrugs, "It is what it is. I didn't think you looked like a Goro, anyway." His attention returns to Sakura, the lopsided grin back in place, "My name's Isamu," he extends a hand in her direction and she takes it eagerly. 

"I'm Sakura," she replies, happy for the warm welcome after Kakashi's nastiness. The other ANBU takes this as their cue to step forward as well, moving silently despite the numerous sticks and rocks at their feet. The closer they get, the more apparent it is to Sakura that this is a woman she's dealing with. The mask that stares back at her is obviously a cat's face and when the ANBU pushes it up to rest on her head, Sakura is surprised to find that the face beneath is similarly feline. The woman's face is certainly memorable, the pupils of her yellow-green eyes cut the iris in half like a cat's. She's not much taller than Sakura and her dramatic cheekbones make her age hard to determine.

 "Did you know that you're bleeding?" The woman's voice is high, like a little girl's, catching Sakura by surprise. It takes her longer to process the words in her confusion, and she reaches a hand to the small of her back where Kakashi's knife had recently been. Sure enough, the fabric of her dress is warm and damp with her own blood- she hadn't even noticed. Sakura shoots Kakashi a menacing look before returning her attention to the woman in front of her. 

"Oh uh-- Kakashi stabbed me."

Isamu snorts in front of her, looking between Sakura and Kakashi with a mildly concerned expression, "Something we should know?"he asks. Kakashi ignores him, leaning back against a nearby tree. 

"I'm Yui." The childlike voice distracts Sakura from her annoyment with the man behind her.

"Sakura," she says turning to Yui and giving a friendly nod.

"Alright, now that the introductions have been taken care of, I want you all to pack for the mission and meet me back here at this exact spot in twenty minutes," Kakashi says cheerfully behind her. The two ANBU nod in his direction and pull their masks back down to cover their faces, teleporting away almost simultaneously. Sakura turns, ready to run to her apartment, but Kakashi grabs her arm as she passes him. He teleports them both into Sakura's apartment before she's able to pull herself free. She expects him to leave as soon as she's safely settled but he lingers, looking down at her with his one exposed eye. 

"Thanks sensei," she offers, gently pulling her arm away from his grasp, "You need to teach me that teleportation Jutsu sometime soon." She means it as a sort of goodbye, hoping he'll leave her to pack in peace, but to her dismay he leans against her living room wall. 

"Sakura, there's something I think I need to make clear," a nervous feeling tugs at her stomach as she tries to imagine what he'll say next, maybe he'll try to embarrass her again, "Although it may seem like I favored Naruto and Sasuke when you three were my students, I always--" He looks away from her. Why was he telling her this now?Sakura gives him a dumbstruck expression- she doesn't know what to say to him- it was everything she had always wanted to hear, but he can't even seem to finish saying it.  

"Kakashi-sensei, you don't--" He startles her when he pushes away from the wall and moves toward her. For a moment it looks like he's going to give Sakura a hug but he stops short, seeming to wrestle with something in his mind. After a long awkward pause he makes a hand sign and vanishes from the apartment, leaving Sakura looking stupidly at the spot he occupied only moments before. 

"This is going to be a looong mission," she says to the empty space in front of her, shaking her head. She figures if she packs quickly she'll have enough time to say goodbye to Naruto at the hospital before she has to meet back up with her team. She smiles to herself as she imagines the jealous whine she'll get when she tells him she's going on a secret mission. It was about time that _she_ was the one leaving _Naruto_ behind to worry about her instead of the reverse. 

She makes a promise to herself in the quiet of her apartment that this mission will be different from the ones she's gone on before. She is going to blow her ex-sensei's mind. "You better believe it." 

 


	2. Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team investigates a troubling lead.

Sakura knows she's late but she can't make her legs carry her any faster to the meeting point outside the village. Her visit to Naruto in the hospital took longer than she anticipated- she ended up having to sedate the blond for the second time to keep him from following her. Sakura can sense Kakashi's annoyance before she enters the clearing where the three shinobi are waiting for her. Isamu and Yui have their masks perched on top of their heads so Sakura can catch Isamu's toothy smile and Yui's emotionless expression in full detail. She meets her teacher's gaze hesitantly and is immediately sorry for it. The rage in Kakashi is boiling right below the surface and just a few moments of enduring the piercing eye is enough to set Sakura's teeth on edge. 

"Glad you could make it, Sakura," Kakashi bites, "I don't know what Tsunade has been teaching you lately, but ANBU missions  _always_ leave on schedule." 

Sakura is taken aback by his tone, and she stutters on her next words, "Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry I was late, the-there was a problem with Naruto in the hospital and I-" 

"Save it," the shinobi warns, "Don't embarrass yourself in front of your teammates."

Kakashi signals Isamu and Yui that it's time to leave and the ANBU pull their masks down in unison. Sakura struggles to get her footing when the rest of her team starts into a full sprint without warning- Kakashi somehow communicating to them without words. She expected the mission to be exhausting but now all she can do is hope that it doesn't get any worse from here. 

The team moves silently, Isamu and Yui jumping gracefully from the path into the trees and back to the soft grass in fluid practiced movements. They're rationing their energy in a way that Sakura can't even imagine herself doing on a good day- her breath is already labored and they'd only been moving for a few hours. Kakashi is just a blur in the distance as he scouts out the quickest route. They move at this consistent speed until way past noon- Sakura is beginning to fall behind despite her best efforts. 

The group comes to an abrupt stop, the two ANBU having seen a signal from Kakashi that Sakura missed. She nearly runs head on into Yui who sidesteps easily out of the way. 

"Does anyone need to rest for any reason," Kakashi asks the group, his tone betraying the real reasoning behind the question. Isamu and Yui both shake their masked heads, and all three shinobi turn their attention to Sakura who has only just caught her breath enough to speak actual words. Kakashi wants Sakura to ask for a break to further cement her position as the weakest member of the group. Though she desperately needs it, Sakura also shakes her head, earning her another piercing gaze from her former sensei. 

"We will continue until sundown and make camp under cover of night," Kakashi is still looking at Sakura as he speaks, "I don't want to draw any attention so we'll travel off the main path for the remainder of the journey." Sakura can see the reasoning behind wanting to keep a low profile since they'll be leaving the Land of Fire, but she can't help but suspect this is another test. Kakashi motions for Sakura and the two ANBU to follow and the team is once again racing through the trees.

Sakura distracts herself by making lists in her head of all the things she needs to do when they return to the Leaf. However, even that gets too tedious after awhile and Sakura instead focuses on her fellow teammates, observing how they move and how she can apply that to her own technique. Yui moves in quick, powerful jumps, her feet barely making contact with the branch before she's in the air again. Sakura doesn't think it would be possible for her to move with that much control- even after training as a shinobi for so many years, she still doesn't know her own body that well. Isamu's movements are strong and seemingly in slow motion despite his obvious speed. He remains in the air for almost three times as long after every stride, making it seem as though he's flying. 

Sakura can't help but let her eyes linger on the tall shinobi's limber body, his muscles clearly visible beneath the black shirt and ANBU vest. Isamu looks back at her almost imperceptibly fast and she nearly loses her footing on the branch she's just landed on. Her focus moves to their leader next, a man she'd spent years studying and still couldn't understand. Kakashi was the most powerful shinobi she had ever known, his sharingan eye only adding to his already immense ability. Sakura doesn't waste her time watching his movements, they're too fast to read anyway. 

Just as the sun dips below the horizon hours later, Kakashi signals for the group to stop. It couldn't have come at a better time, Sakura has been imagining herself dying suddenly from exhaustion for at least an hour already. Isamu and Yui set up camp while Sakura goes to collect wood for a fire. She's grateful for the brief alone time away from Kakashi's scrutinizing gaze. Sakura takes her time collecting the wood, letting herself collect her thoughts before she returns to face the rest of the team. After about ten minutes of this, Sakura heads back to camp where Kakashi already has a roaring fire started. Sakura's cheeks burn in embarrassment at Kakashi's mocking expression.The three shinobi are lounging like they've been waiting for her for hours. 

"Just in time, Sakura," Kakashi grunts motioning to the fire, "Since it looks like I've already done your job you get to cook us up some dinner." Sakura says nothing and drops her armful of wood where she stands. She had brought some basic rations for herself but had no idea she'd have to cook for four people when she packed her bag this morning. Kakashi smirks at her worried expression and anger overtakes Sakura's nerves in an instant. 

"You want dinner, Sensei, I'll make you dinner," she challenges, squaring her shoulders. Sakura doesn't have a plan but she can't hesitate now.

She stomps away from the camp in search of something to eat, ignoring Kakashi's casual warning not to stray too far. It's dark but Sakura uses a jutsu for improving night vision that Tsunade taught her the last time they trained at night. The forest is immediately brought into focus as she finishes the quick hand sign, and she quickly retrieves some wild herbs, deciding she'll make a stew. Four rabbits become a source of protein at the hands of her kunai and soon enough Sakura has everything she needs for her meal.

Isamu and Yui watch with interest as Sakura skins and cleans all four rabbits on her own before throwing the ingredients into the large pot that Isamu produces out of thin air. She wishes she had packed salt and pepper in her bag but figures the stew will be good nonetheless. She lets it bubble until she hears Isamu and Yui's stomachs grumble with hunger. Kakashi has worn an unimpressed expression throughout the whole process but even his ears perk up when she announces that the food is ready. 

"This is amazing," Isamu grumbles between spoonfuls of stew, "I think I'm in love with you." Sakura laughs at the obvious joke but she can't keep the blood from rushing to her head at the words. To her dismay, Kakashi notices her blush and shoots her a wink when Isamu isn't looking, knowing full well that this will send Sakura's blood pressure skyrocketing. She tries to focus on the task of eating but her appetite quickly vanishes and she offers the rest of her dinner to the group which Isamu quickly accepts. 

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Sakura announces, "I saw a river not far from here when I went to get wood." The group nods and Sakura grabs her soap and a towel from her bag, risking a glance at Kakashi before she leaves. He's staring at her from across the fire. 

The river water is freezing and Sakura is shivering before she manages to wash the rabbit blood from where its soaked into her hands. She isn't sure how far she's willing to submerge herself but after catching a whiff of her own armpits she decides to take the plunge. Sakura scans the area briefly before stripping off her clothes and hanging them up to air out. Clutching the small bar of soap in her fist, she jumps into the river, not giving herself a chance to chicken out. The water makes her entire body tense up, paralyzing her from the neck down, but before long she loses feeling completely and begins to wash herself slowly. 

"Shit, how did you get into this water?" The question makes Sakura jump out of her skin, she hadn't sensed anyone approach. Covering herself the best she can with her arms, Sakura turns to find Isamu butt naked behind her, with a single foot in the river. 

"What are you doing," Sakura yells, fighting the urge to move her gaze away from his face. 

"What does it look like I'm doing," Isamu laughs, "I'm trying to take a bath." 

"But your naked and-" 

"You're naked too," he points out, a sly smile pulling at the corners of his lips. 

"I was here first," Sakura whines, cringing at how young she sounds. Isamu puts another foot into the water and Sakura watches first hand as his muscles tense hard in response. She doesn't know what to say and can't leave the water for fear of exposing herself to the other shinobi in the process. 

Sakura sighs to herself before whispering, "You have to jump in." Isamu looks appalled at the prospect of throwing himself in but after seeing Sakura's serious expression he seems to accept his fate. He hurls his body into the current, nearly landing on Sakura's head; she lets out a yelp as his splash smacks her dead in the face. His head emerges from the water a half second later and Sakura watches the waves of emotions she went through when she jumped in earlier. 

"Don't worry, you'll be numb in a second," she giggles, trying hard not to completely lose her composure at his dismayed expression. The river is shallow enough that Sakura's feet touch the rocky bottom and only her head is visible above the water, but Isamu's chest and shoulders are left exposed because of his tall frame. This gives Sakura the excuse to study the hard lines of his body up close and personal. Isamu says nothing as her gaze rakes up and down taking him all in. Sakura doesn't know why she isn't stopping herself, but Isamu makes it clear he doesn't mind with his hooded eyes. 

He takes a step forward and reaches a hand toward her naked body. Sakura tenses, unsure what he plans on doing to her before she feels the soap being plucked from her grasp. Isamu shoots her an amused look before rubbing the bar along his own shoulders and frontside. When it comes time for him to wash his back, he hands Sakura the bar and turns so he's facing away from her- an unspoken request. She hesitates before taking a step toward him, and carefully places the soap against the smooth skin on his back. Sakura feels the shinobi shiver beneath her touch and her blood rushes below her navel in an instant. Feeling shaky on her feet, Sakura runs the soap along his back before massaging it in with her other hand. 

Isamu lets out a quiet moan when her hand slips lower toward his ass, the noise urging her hand further down until she's grabbing him and kneading him harder. He turns so fast she doesn't have time to react and grabs the soap from her hand, his expression dark and inviting, Sakura takes another step forward until their bodies are only inches apart. Isamu runs the soap down the side on her neck and further down between her boobs, smoothing the suds across her entire chest. Sakura gasps when she feels him poking into her stomach, his arousal making her head swim and her skin tingle in the frigid water. Out of nowhere, Isamu takes a big step back, his expression changing all at once as he checks their surroundings. 

"We're being watched," he says in a low voice, "you should get dressed." Sakura nods her head, the mood ruined, and exits the river the way she came in- no longer worried about exposing herself to the shinobi in the water. She dresses quickly, drying her hair with the towel before offering it to Isamu. He shakes his head and motions for her to go. 

"I'll catch up with you in a second," he whispers, his voice barely audible above the rippling of the river. Sakura leaves him the towel next to his crumpled up clothes and makes her way back to camp, her night vision jutsu beginning to wear off. A shock of silver hair shining in the moonlight catches her attention before Kakashi jumps down from a tree branch to intercept her. 

"I hope your bath was refreshing," Kakashi drawls, coming to stand uncomfortably close to her. She can smell the fire on his clothes mixed with his familiar musky scent. 

"It was, thank you for asking," Sakura jabs, trying to push past her former sensei; Kakashi throws out an arm blocking her path. 

"I don't need you to be distracted, Sakura, whatever just happened can't happen again." Sakura withers at the realization it was Kakashi watching them by the lake. She wonders how long he stood there before Isamu sensed his presence. He really was a pervert after all. 

"I-" 

"Don't argue just say yes," Kakashi barks.

"Yes Sensei."


End file.
